- South African officials have seized a superyacht and two homes owned by Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang.
- The court ordered the seizures after a local businessman won a lawsuit against Obiang for unlawful arrest and torture, demanding compensation of about $2.2m.
- This is the latest in a series of rulings against Obiang by courts worldwide, as he and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo have been accused of abusing Equatorial Guinea’s wealth and resources.
Officials in South Africa have seized two palatial homes and a superyacht belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang after a local businessman won a lawsuit against him for unlawful arrest and torture. The businessman, Daniel Janse van Rensburg, has demanded compensation of approximately £1.8m ($2.2m). According to Van Rensburg, he was unlawfully detained for 500 days in Equatorial Guinea following a failed business deal.
The vice president, who is also the son of Equatorial Guinea’s long-serving ruler, has yet to comment on the case. However, he and his father have faced allegations of treating the oil-rich country as their personal fiefdom and abusing its resources. This seizure is the latest in a string of rulings against the vice president by courts around the world, according to BBC.
Errol Eldson, the lawyer representing Van Rensburg, has filed an application to auction the seized assets, including a superyacht and two houses in Cape Town. The businessman has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the vice president in South African courts and published a book last year recounting his “harrowing incarceration” at Equatorial Guinea’s notorious Black Beach prison.
According to Eldson, Van Rensburg set up an airline in Equatorial Guinea with a local politician who later withdrew from the venture and demanded a refund. After the dispute was escalated to the vice-president, an elite security force unit picked up Van Rensburg and threw him into the notorious prison, Eldson said.
Obiang has been accused of corruption in various countries and is known for his lavish lifestyle. In 2014, US authorities seized a $30m mansion in Malibu and a Ferrari car, alleging that they had been purchased with proceeds of corruption. Swiss prosecutors later seized 11 luxury cars belonging to him, which were auctioned off for approximately $27m. In 2021, a French court handed him a suspended sentence and a fine for using public money to fund a luxurious lifestyle in France, which he denied. The same year, the UK imposed “anti-corruption” sanctions on him, alleging that he had misused public funds to acquire a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia, including a crystal-covered glove worn by the late pop star on his Bad tour.
UK officials said that the sanctions targeted individuals who had enriched themselves at the expense of their citizens. Obiang is widely seen as being groomed by his father to succeed him.
As this case continues to develop, it remains to be seen how it will impact Equatorial Guinea’s political landscape and relations with other countries around the world.
